Are ICOs here to stay? How blockchain will disrupt the financial industry? After producing so many headlines in 2017, the future of token sales and how crypto affects the future of funding is still filled with uncertainty. That’s why it’s going to be exciting to listen to Melonport co-founder and CEO Mona El Isa and ICONOMI co-founder Tim Zagar at TechCrunch Disrupt Berlin talk about the effects on the financial industries, cryptocurrencies, token sales, their own ICOs and their perspective on the evolution of this whole industry.
ICONOMI wants to make it easier to invest in cryptocurrencies. The company has created a platform that lets you invest in a portfolio of digital assets — they call it a Digital Asset Array. And if you feel like a hedge fund manager, you can create a managed fund and attract investors.
The platform lets you select assets among dozens of cryptocurrencies, manage positions and collect fees from investors. The best thing is that don’t have to go through multiple exchanges to buy some obscure cryptocurrencies. ICONOMI manages some funds itself.
And the company completed its own Initial Coin Offering before the big wave of ICOs. ICONOMI raised the equivalent of $10 million back in 2016, which was quite significant at the time.
Zagar started working on blockchain technologies back in 2013. So it’s clear that he has already seen many changes in the industry. He’ll have some interesting things to say about the current state of token sales.
Mona El Isa from Melonport also feels like there’s a lot of potential when it comes to applying hedge fund methods to cryptocurrencies.
As a former Goldman Sachs vice president, she got fed up with the hedge fund industry and co-founded Melonport. The company wants to help fund managers create and automate many of the pesky tasks of hedge funds. Thanks to smart contracts, Melonport can ensure commitments and everything remains auditable.
Melonport is targeting big investors who want to try something new — it should be much easier to quit a good old investment bank and create a fund thanks to the service. And of course, Melonport also raised funding through an Initial Coin Offering.
As you can see, Melonport and ICONOMI are somewhat related. They have different approaches to the same issue and both focus on cryptocurrencies as investment vehicles. There’s probably enough room for two winners if cryptocurrencies become as big as some people think. And they also both went through token sales. We’re excited to see them share the same stage at Disrupt.
Get your Disrupt tickets right now to save 30 percent off of your tickets and see Mona El Isa and Tim Zagar — prices will go up in a couple of days. You’ll also see the Startup Battlefield competition, in which a handful of startups pitch our judges with the hopes of winning the coveted Disrupt Cup and a cash prize.
You’ll get to chat with plenty of promising startups in Startup Alley, see amazing talks on the main stage, and unwind after a long day at the show with a cocktail and some new friends at the Disrupt after party.
Do you run a startup? The Startup Alley Exhibitor Package is your best bet to get the greatest exposure by exhibiting your company or product directly on the Disrupt Berlin show floor.
Disclosure: I own small amounts of various cryptocurrencies.